Revelations: She eats Kale for me
by shannyforever
Summary: Someone from Maura's past turns up at their table, which prompts a conversation between Jane and Maura that reveals some revelations about Maura's past. Set at the end of S4E9 *SPOILERS*
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Thank you to everyone for the reviews on my previous stories. I'm new to this, and enjoy both the positive and constructive reviews.

STORY: Takes place directly after the end of S4E9. A surprise blast from Maura's past leads to an interesting revelation about Maura (and Jane).

As Jane sat in a booth at their favourite hangout, eating her fresh green salad, she was surprised to see Maura slide in to the booth opposite her.

"What… I thought you had a hot date with BT," Jane asked, obviously shocked.

"I heard you'd be fending off Martinez," Maura replied, seemingly unbothered about missing her date.

"He tried." Jane replied, picking at her salad. "He wanted to celebrate."

"You know, I am troubled that it was a woman running this methamphetamine operation," Maura stated, pay no attention to Janes comment. "Which actually worries me," she finished, running a worried hand through her hair and down the side of her face.

"Why?" Jane asked, confused about this revelation from Maura.

"Because, it suggests I might be sexist."

"I am more troubled by the fact that she was a parole officer. I mean, she's supposed to be one of us."

As Jane continued to pick and play with her plate, Maura finally realised just what Jane is eating.

"You're eating kale," Maura stated, shocked that Jane would be eating something she had previously whined about having to eat.

"I'm… playing with kale. Does that count as a serving of dark leafy greens?" Jane replied sarcastically.

"No," Maura replied, not hiding the glimmer of a laugh at Jane's obvious deflection from succumbing to Maura's wishes that she eat healthy.

"Guess what?" Jane asked, attempting to change the subject.

"You know I can't guess," Maura replied humouredly.

"I'm gonna have coffee tomorrow," Jane stated in her usual childlike manner.

"Jane…" Maura sighed.

"And the next day."

"You're impossible!"

"I know." Jane finished, obviously pleased with herself.

"Eat your kale," Maura responded, giving up.

"Argh. Ok but I'm having French fries for dessert," Jane replied like a spoilt child.

Maura couldn't help but laugh at Jane, not really surprised.

"Of course you are," Maura replied between spouts of laughter.

Jane looked up at Maura, enjoying the sight of her best friend laughing. It was a beautiful sight, and it became part of Jane's day to always make her laugh, at least once.

"So, come on," Jane started between mouthfuls of kale, "how are things with going with BT?"

Maura's laugh was slowly subsiding as she looked over at Jane, wondering how to answer a question she wasn't quite sure of herself. Jane watched as Maura's face went from happy and laughing, to confused. She placed her fork down, giving her a questioning look.

"What's wrong with him? Does he have some kind of weird growth, or unusually long toes or something?"

"Actually, Jane, he appears to be, physically, a textbook male specimen," Maura stated.

"So… what are you doing here with me?" Jane asked, smiling. "Go do your thing, Dr Isles."

"Are you trying to get rid of me, Jane?" Maura asked, jokingly. "Oh, are you expecting a call from Casey?" she asked seriously, now realising that perhaps she was interrupting her friend.

Jane's face became one of melancholy as she picked up her fork again and resumed eating. Seeing the change in her friend's mood, Maura instantly regretted bringing the subject up. She placed her hand upon Jane's across the table, caressing it with tiny circles.

"I'm sorry, Jane," Maura stated sadly. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Jane placed her fork on the plate again and pushed her plate to the side and away from her. She looked up at Maura and exhaled deeply as she turned her hand and held Maura's more firmly, embracing the comforting gesture.

"He's just been busy, you know?" she finally explained.

Maura gave her friend a sympathetic look, but held in her opinion on the matter. She sensed that this was not the time to explain to her friend all the things that were wrong with her relationship with Casey, and instead offered her the usual optimistic and truthful response.

"I'm sure things will work out in the end," she stated, realising that the end could mean without Casey, but not acknowledging that at this juncture.

Jane gently squeezed Maura's hand in thanks, and continued to accept the comforting caresses Maura was offering. She glanced behind Maura and spoke…

"Maura… there's a nicely dressed woman over there who keeps staring at you," she stated from the corner of her mouth, letting the question form itself.

As Maura tried to turn and look, Jane quickly held her hand tighter.

"Don't look now, you'll make it obvious," Jane said in a hushed voice.

"Well how am I supposed to know who you are talking about?" Maura asked, sitting forward in her seat, removing her hand from Jane's and folding them on the table.

"You do it _inconspicuously,_" Jane replied, glancing up again at the woman across the room.

"Well, if she's looking at me without apprehension, then I shouldn't need to be inconspicuous," she replied as she turned in her seat to see who Jane was talking about.

Jane watched as Maura turned, recognised the woman, and hurriedly turned back to face Jane with a look of anxiety on her face.

"Maura?" Jane questioned.

When she got no response she gently reached out to take hold of Maura's hand again.

"Maura, who is it?" she prompted again, glancing back at the woman who was now walking towards them. "She's coming over," she whispered, and was worried when Maura's eyes widened in fear and her grip on Jane's hand became tighter.

"Maura Isles?" the woman asked, now standing beside the table. "I thought that was you," she continued, smiling at Maura.

"Kate. Hi," Maura responded, now smiling as she looked up at the woman. "It's been a long time."

"It has," she responded, her eyes quickly glancing to Jane and their held hands, before looking back at Maura. "You don't call, you don't write," Kate finished jokingly.

"Oh, ah, I'm sorry, I…" Maura began, becoming anxious.

"No, Maura, I'm joking," Kate interrupted, and rubbed her hand gently down Maura's bicep before turning to Jane. "You must be Maura's girlfriend. I'm Kate," she stated, offering her hand.

Jane took the offered hand and shook it. She looked to Maura, wondering if she intended to correct Kate in her assumption, but Maura was still flustered at Kate's presence.

"Actually…" Jane began.

"You're very pretty," Kate interrupted as she let go of Jane's hand and glanced up at her friends who were waiting by the door. "I'm sorry, I have to go. But I just moved here, so I'm sure we'll see much more of each other," Kate finished, at looked back at Maura.

"It was lovely to see you," Maura replied with a smile.

Kate smiled back at Maura, "Yes it was."

And then she was gone.

Maura watched Kate leave before she turned her gaze back to Jane.

"Ok, what! Was that?" Jane asked, confused and amused.


	2. Chapter 2

Maura tried to come up with the best possible response to Jane's question. What this meant was that she opened her mouth to answer a few times before deciding that whatever she responded with was going to lead to more questions. And for those questions, she was going to require a drink.

"Let's have a glass of wine, first, shall we?" Maura finally responded as she waved over a staff member.

"Beer for me," Jane replied, looking at the waiter.

"A glass of red, please. The usual," Maura added.

"So," Jane began, "who was that?"

"That was Kate," Maura replied, with a smile.

"Maura…" Jane replied with a whine, "who is Kate and how do you know her?"

"Kate and I went to Medical school together," Maura replied. "As for who she is, I couldn't really tell you. We haven't spoken in many, many years."

"Oh," Jane responded. "Well that was very boring."

Maura was so far grateful that Jane had yet to use her interrogating skills to probe any further on the matter. When their drinks arrived, however, she inwardly cringed at the look Jane gave her as she realised there was more to it.

"She thought I was your girlfriend," Jane stated, before taking a sip of her beer.

"Yes, I noticed. Although she isn't the first person to make that assumption," Maura replied.

Maura gently sipped her wine as she watched Jane's expressive eyes react behind her beer bottle. Her eyes bulged out as she swiftly brought her beer back down to the table.

"Really? Other people have mistaken me as your girlfriend?" Jane asked incredulously.

"They often imply that you and I are a couple, yes," Maura replied good-naturedly.

"When? Who? Wha… What?" Jane asked getting flustered.

"It's not a big deal Jane," Maura replied, happy for the conversation to be diverted from her history with Kate.

"Um, it kind of is, at least, a little deal, Maura," Jane replied, as she wondered how Maura was taking this so calmly.

"Why?"

"Because I don't want people to think I am gay," Jane replied, as if it was an obvious answer.

Maura tilted her head to the side as she looked at Jane and contemplated Jane's response. In a way, she understood Jane's concern with being labelled a lesbian. She was, after all, a female police officer.

"So, now that you are aware of what some people have surmised, Jane, does that mean you want to change the dynamics of our friendship because of what we are perceived to be by others?" Maura eventually asked.

Jane was taken aback by Maura's response. She wasn't expecting it. "That's not… No, Maura… But that's not really the point," she stammered in response.

"So, what's the point, Jane?" Maura asked, sitting back in her chair.

"Well, I'm not really sure," Jane replied dejectedly.

They sat in silence for a few moments, both adjusting to the direction the conversation had taken.

"Look, Maura," Jane eventually began. "I don't really care what people think about me. I've spent the better half of my career hearing snide remarks about my sexuality, all because I'm a female cop. It's not that it bothers me, exactly, it's just that… well, I don't like the stereotype."

Jane let her statement linger a while, before adding, "Besides, you shouldn't have to keep correcting people, or even have to be faced with having those sorts of rumours being spread."

"I don't care about all that," Maura replied, waving it off. "And to be honest, I've even stopped correcting people. They can think what they like."

Jane smiled at Maura in wonderment. "It really doesn't bother you?"

"No, not at all."

"Even when an old friend assumes, not having seen you in years?"

"Well, you were holding my hand, Jane," Maura replied with a smirk. "Plus, I'd be quite proud to show you off as my girlfriend in front of an old friend."

"Aw, Maura. That's so sweet," Jane mocked, holding her hand to her chest. "So she was an old friend? She thought I was pretty," Jane finished, sitting up tall in her seat, like a peacock in a proud gesture.

"And she was right. You are, Jane," Maura replied, before sipping her wine.

Jane smiled at the compliment from her friend, but also noticed the slight discomfort in her behaviour. Her eyes narrowed as she watch Maura glance around the room, sipping on her wine. When their eyes met again, she was convinced there was something she wasn't telling her, and began to probe some more.

"What aren't you telling me?" Jane asked humouredly.

"Hmm?" Maura replied, putting her finished wine glass on the table. "What do you mean?"

"Maura, what was your relationship with Kate?" Jane finally asked, being as blunt as she could.

Maura took a deep, shaky breathe before answering, "We were close friends who often sought each other out in order to… stimulate physical gratification."

"You mean, friends with benefits?" Jane asked, shocked at this new revelation.

"I believe that is the common term, yes," Maura replied with a sheepish smile.

"Oh my god, Maura. I can't believe you never told me this," Jane stated.

"It was a long time ago, Jane. To be honest, I really only remembered when I saw her just now."

"You forgot that you went through a phase in college which had you sleep with a woman?" Jane asked, not having believed that this was something one could forget.

"Who said it was a phase?" Maura replied, her eyes knitted together. "Besides, we were friends longer than we were lovers. It wasn't something that was ongoing."

"How long?"

"Um, six months maybe? It's hard to remember exactly."

"Six months?" Jane asked, surprised. "Maura, that's longer than any of my relationships."

Maura laughed as she watched Jane finish her beer with a large gulp.

"Really, Jane. Kate was not a big part of my life," Maura stated. "Now, should we head to mine for a night cap, or bid our farewells here?"

"Mmm, yours," Jane replied, as she placed her empty of the table and stood to leave. "I still can't believe you never told me."

Maura lead the way out as she continued to laugh at Jane's remarks about her past.


	3. Chapter 3

"Beer?" Maura asked as she headed towards the kitchen, leaving Jane to put her badge and gun away.

"Yes please," Jane called out, and followed Maura into the kitchen, taking of her jacket and placing it over the stool.

Jane sat on a stool and watched as Maura retrieved a beer from the fridge and opened it before placing it on the bench in front of her. She then proceeded to grab a glass and a bottle of wine and poured herself a glass before resting her elbows on the bench across from her, wine in hand.

"Ask me," Maura stated, watching Jane over the rim of her glass.

"Ask you what?" Jane replied with an impish grin, before taking a sip of her beer.

Maura simply tilted her head to the side in a look that said 'you know what', waiting for Jane to respond.

"Argh, fine," Jane conceded. "What was it like?"

Maura, at first, let a small giggle escape her lips, and took another sip of her wine before standing up straight to answer Jane's question.

"What was what like?" she replied, cheekily.

It was Janes turn to look at Maura with 'you know what' response written on her face. At this, Maura giggled even more, before leading the way to the sofa.

"You know, I'm actually surprised you want to know. You are normally so prudish when it comes to discussing sex, Jane," Maura replied as she sat in the couch and watched Jane walk past and sit beside her.

"I am not prudish, I just don't feel the need to discuss, in detail I might add, the ins and outs of my sex life," Jane said in defence. "Or yours for that matter," she added with a smirk.

Maura raised her eyebrows in question, silently asking why Jane was asking about her sex life now.

"This is different," Jane stated in response. "And I don't want to know all the details, just… the differences, I guess."

"Mmm, Jane, being with a woman is very different," she began, as she looked past Jane, her finger running around the rim of her wine glass, and continued. "While it is assumed that women have a tendency to required gentleness and tenderness, the fact that women also feel strong desires to just have feverish, gratifying orgasms is often overlooked. Which isn't to say that the smoothness of a woman's skin, and the softness of her touch, isn't gratifying. But pleasing a woman, and having a woman please you, sexually, is instinctual. Do you know what I mean?"

Maura looked back at Jane to see if Jane was following, only to find her with a slightly open mouth and eyes only half open, staring at her.

"Jane?"

"Hmm? Instinctual. Right. Yes," Jane responded hastily. "Wait, no," she continued, sitting up and tucking her legs under her and facing Maura. "What do you mean?"

"Well," Maura started, as she shifted in her seat to mirror Jane's position on the couch, "It goes without saying that a woman would know what another woman would like."

At the non-response from Jane, Maura continued, "When a woman masturbates…"

"Yes, ok, stop. I understand now," Jane interrupted.

Maura simply giggled at the look of exasperation on Jane's face. It was a common look of Jane's, especially in Maura's presence, and especially when Maura went all google-mouth on the subject of sex.

They sat in comfortable silence, heads rested on the back of the sofa. While Maura thought back on her time with Kate, her first experience with a woman, Jane recalled something Maura had said earlier about it being a phase… or not being a phase, as the statement had implied.

"Maura," Jane began, lifting her head to look at Maura, confusion evident in her eyes, "What did you mean earlier when you said 'what makes me think it was a phase'"?

"Well, you had implied that I went through a phase with regards to sleeping with women," she replied, taking a sip of her wine.

Jane sat up further, and leaned in slightly before responding, "So, it wasn't a phase?"

"Jane, I've always been quite open about my sexuality," she replied, and turned her head to question Jane's understanding on the matter.

"So, you _still_ sleep with women?" Jane asked, trying to understand exactly what Maura was saying.

"To be honest, it has been a long time since I have."

"How long?"

"Years."

"How many years?" Jane asked, seemingly getting impatient.

"Jane," Maura started, as she sat forward to place her glass on the table. "What's with all the questions? Does this upset you?"

Jane sighed, realising she had warped into interrogation mode. "No, I'm sorry. I'm being an ass."

"Jane, language," Maura replied, before adding with a smile, "But yes, you are becoming militant."

They shared a smile before Jane sat forward, patted Maura's knee, and stood in order to make her way to the kitchen.

"Let's just talk about something else," Jane suggested, as she went to grab another beer. "You want more wine?"

"Yes please," Maura replied, twisting her head to watch Jane as she left the room.

Maura finished off her wine in anticipation of a top up as she listened to Jane rustling about in her kitchen. She reflected on her friendship with Jane as she waited, realising that their relationship was a comfortable and intimate relationship, albeit without the sex. It wasn't as though she hadn't thought about it. Jane was, after all, a gorgeous woman. Something that Maura had no qualms in telling her friend. And while she had told Jane she was open about her sexuality, she realised when Jane began firing rushed questions at her that she was inadvertently hiding the extent of her experience with women from Jane. Her reasoning being that because she valued her friendship with Jane so much, she didn't want weirdness to ensue. She also reasoned that this was one of the reasons she hadn't slept with a woman in so many years. The other reason was because of Jane. She was attracted to Jane, and no other woman since meeting her has had quite the appeal. What she wasn't ready to fully commit to was that she ultimately expected to settle down with a woman, however as long as Jane was around, no other woman would do.

"So," Jane started as she walked back from the kitchen, "exactly how many women have you been with."

"I thought we were changing the subject," Maura replied with a smile, as she watched Jane top up her glass.

"Okay, okay," Jane replied, lifting her hand in mock surrender. As she sat down with her beer, however, she could not stop herself from adding with a grin, "But seriously, how many?"

"Jane!" Maura gasped, still smiling, before taking a sip of her wine. "A lady doesn't kiss and tell," she quietly finished, talking into her glass of wine.

Jane laughed in response. "That is the most outrageous comment you've made all night. You, Maura Isles, tell all the time!" she stated, poking Maura in the side. "In fact, I honestly wish I knew much less about your sex life!"

With a deep, guttural laugh, Maura sat forward to place her wine on the table before responding. "Ok, yes," she replied between fits of laughter, "but in all fairness, you generally stop before I get to the good bits."

"Argh, ok. Let's really change the subject and watch a movie," Jane replied, holding her own laughter at bay.


	4. Chapter 4

As they sat watching what was another of Maura's movie picks (yes, another documentary), Jane let her mind wander to the nights revelations. Maura had been with women. Plural. As in, more than one. More than many, it would seem. While it had initially come as a shock to the detective, she had to admit that deep down she had suspected it all along. Granted, Maura had only ever dated men, but it wasn't unusual for the Medical Examiner to let her eyes linger longer than necessary on women, also.

Something else this revelation brought to the surface was Jane's own feelings. She had often wondered about the ease with which herself and Maura created and continued to develop a friendship. She knew emphatically that she trusted, cared for and relied on her more than anyone. She knew, from experience, that without Maura's friendship, her ability to function as a human being was challenged. What she wasn't sure of, however, was how deep those feelings went.

Jane was pulled from her musings when an excited Maura made a comment about the documentary they were (both supposed to be) watching.

"Oh, Jane. Isn't it beautiful?" Maura gasped, turning her head to glance at Jane.

Jane smiled in response, however the lack of sincerity behind the smile was not lost on Maura. Adamant that Jane was not in fact watching, Maura turned the television off and turned to face Jane.

"You're still dwelling on it, aren't you?" questioned Maura.

"Dwelling isn't really the right word for it," Jane replied, her eyes turning to her lap.

"So… why the lengthy face?" Maura asked.

"Long face, Maura. It's why the long face," Jane replied, smiling at the way the ME continually got these idioms wrong.

"Ok, so why the long face?" Maura stated, correcting her previous statement.

"It was just…" Jane began, unsure of how to explain herself. "It's just that it was… an unexpected revelation about you, when I thought, as your best friend, I would have the privileged of knowing something so… monumental," Jane replied, as she looked back up at her best friend.

"I'm sorry Jane," Maura replied, placing a hand on Jane's thigh. "I really am. I guess I didn't see that not knowing something about me could be upsetting for you."

Jane leant her head back on the sofa and looked sideways at Maura.

"You don't have to tell me every detail of your life, Maura," she replied softly. "I'm just being silly. It's been a long day, a long week, and I suppose this has just caught me unaware."

"Jane," Maura began, leaning back to mirror Jane as she looked at her. "Jane, do you know what I want?" she asked in a hushed voice.

"What?" Jane whispered.

"I want you to know every detail of my life. I want to have no secrets from you, and to be open and honest with you in every way possible," Maura hushed. "As your best friend, this is what I want."

"I sense a 'but'?" Jane responded.

Maura smiled at Jane before she continued. "_However_," she grinned, "as with any relationship, a little bit of mystery, something to discover at a later date, keeps things interesting."

"But, Maura, we are not in a relationship," Jane stated, confused.

"Friendship is merely a type of relationship, Jane," Maura replied. "And let's be candid here, my friendship with you has persisted longer, and meant more, than any romantic relationship I've ever had."

They sat smiling at each other for a few moments before things started to get a little awkward.

"Wow, this has just been a night of girly, chatty goodness, hasn't it?" Jane laughed. "Next thing, you'll be putting polish on my nails and braiding my hair."

"Oh, Jane, I can braid hair," Maura replied excitedly sitting up straight on the couch.

"Maura, no, I was joking," Jane replied seriously, subconsciously moving away from Maura.

"Oh, come on, Jane, please?" Maura pleaded. "I've been wishing to practice my braid, and your hair would be wonderful to practice on."

"No, no, and no. That is not happening," Jane replied, as she looked sternly at Maura with her resolve face, essentially 'putting her foot down'.

30 minutes later…

"I cannot believe I am letting you braid my hair," Jane winged, sitting on the ground in front of Maura as she played with Jane's hair.

"Just you wait and see. It will look just lovely Jane, I promise," Maura gleamed.

"Yea, well, just as long as no one see's it, and we never…. I mean never… bring it up again," Jane warned.

"Whatever you say Jane," Maura replied with a smirk. "Almost done."

Just as Maura was putting the final touches on Jane's braid, Angela walked in the back door looking for Maura.

"Maura?" Angela called out.

"Oh, Angela, we are in here," Maura called back through the kitchen.

"What... Maura!" Jane grimaced, trying to get up to leave the room, "I said as long as no one saw it!"

"Hush Jane, it's just your mother," Maura replied, pushing Jane's shoulders to keep her in place so she could put a hair tie in her hair to hold her braid in place.

"Really, Maur? You don't think the whole of Boston will know that I let you braid my hair if she finds out?" Jane asked incredulously, turning to glare at Maura when she knew she had finished. "And did you just hush me?"

"Oh, Janie, you're here," Angela said happily, "Oh, and look at your hair. It's so pretty! Casey is going to just love it."

"Argh, Ma!" Jane exclaimed, standing up and glaring down at the seated ME. "See?" she finished, gesturing towards her mother, before stomping out of the room towards the spare room.

"Was it something I said?" Angela asked Maura as she watch her daughter storm from the room.

"I think that's a bit of a sensitive subject at the moment," Maura responded.

"I didn't know," Angela said to Maura. "Janie, I didn't know," she repeated, this time loud enough to follow Jane down the hall.

"She'll be fine," Maura replied, glancing worriedly towards the guestroom door.

"Ok, well, I just came to ask if you were free on Saturday morning. Detective Korsak has asked me to go for coffee, so I want to get a new outfit," Angela stated with a smile.

"Oh, of course! I would love to accompany you," Maura replied, warmed to have been asked.

"Great," Angela replied, clasping her hands together. "Well, I will let you see to Jane. Tell her I didn't mean anything by what I said. And her hair really does look pretty."

"I will," Maura replied with a smile.

She watched Angela leave out the back door, before she turned to make her way to Jane.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Apologise for the gramma and other errors in my writing. I do my best to fix them, but I often can't see them until it's too late. I've since read over my previous chapters and found some, which makes me cringe. lol. I hope this chapter has less errors. :-)

Maura walked into the room to find Jane laying on the bed, hands clasped together on her stomach. She turned to close the door before making her way to sit on the edge of the bed, looking at Jane.

"Jane," Maura said apprehensively.

"I know," Jane replied with a sigh, avoiding eye contact.

"You know what?"

"I know she didn't mean anything by it," Jane replied, finally looking up at Maura.

"So," Maura started, shifting to lay on the bed beside Jane. "Why is it such a sensitive subject?"

Jane turned her face to look directly at Maura, who was looking up at the ceiling.

"Maybe because my boyfriend is in Afghanistan and barely has any time to talk to me?" Jane replied with a hint of annoyance in her voice, as if it should have been obvious.

Maura turned her head, placing an arm above her on the pillow. She looked at Jane, trying to read her face.

"I think it's more than that," she whispered, looking at Jane questioningly.

"Ah, Maura," Jane replied in frustration as she looked down at her hands that she was furiously wringing together.

Maura continued to watch Jane as an array of emotions filtered over her face. She could see that she was trying to deal with these emotions on her own, and wished that Jane could open up to her so she could try and help. If not help, then at least offer support and someone to talk to.

Jane noticed that Maura was quiet. She turned her face to glance back at her and noticed the worry in her eyes.

"Maura, I'm ok," she said reassuringly with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "I guess I have just been a little run down," she admitted off-handedly.

"Well, did you know that sex releases immunoglobulin A?" Maura asked with her usual degree of excitement at being able to rattle of random facts. "It..."

"It wards of colds, yes I know," Jane said, cutting Maura off, and looking back at the ceiling.

Jane didn't have to look at Maura to know that she was smiling in awe, wondering how she knew. When she turned back to look at her with a smug smile of her own, Maura silently asked the question with her eyes.

"My best friend is a google-mouth. How else would I know?" Jane said with a hint of laughter in her voice.

"You mean you actually listened?" Maura asked surprised.

"What? Of course I listened. I always listen," Jane replied indignantly, turning her gaze back to the ceiling. "But just like the other 95% of things that come out of your mouth, I'm not sure it's relevant to the current situation."

"Yes, right. Your boyfriend is in Afghanistan," Maura replied, her smile faltering.

"Exactly," Jane replied, before adding with a laugh. "Well, unless you're offering."

Maura's face had gone from thoughtful, to surprised, and then back to thoughtful as she looked at Jane to gauge the seriousness of the question. She noticed the casual laugh that accompanied the statement and realised Jane was joking, and thus responded in kind.

"Well, I'm not sure Casey would approve," Maura replied with a glimmer of humour as she looked back at the ceiling.

Jane smiled before they both let the silence linger between them. They were both lost in their own thoughts.

Jane was troubled by her own emotions. Sure, she was upset that Casey wasn't here, and wasn't available to talk to until next week. But what troubled her more was that she didn't really miss him as much as she thought she should. She knew that if Casey was in Boston, she would likely still be here with Maura, watching a movie and talking about their day. Maura's revelations tonight were also troubling Jane. Not because she was bothered by her friend's sexuality, but because it made her question her own. Her relationship with Maura was by far the longest and strongest one she had ever had, and it was just a friendship. _Just a friendship?_ Was it really just a friendship? This is what had been troubling her since Maura's confession. She loved Maura. She loved her intelligence, her humour, her openness and her honesty. She also admitted that she admired her beauty. She was beautiful.

As Jane's thoughts turned to how beautiful Maura was, she glanced at the ME as if to confirm it. She let her eyes roam over her face and watched Maura as she appeared to be meditating. Her radiant skin, soft honey gold locks of hair. Her eyes were closed, but she knew that beneath those eyelids were sincere hazel orbs of kindness that always looked at Jane with warmth and genuine adulation. Her lips, although currently non expressive and still, often became the centrepiece for a smile that always managed to make Jane's day better, no matter what the circumstances.

With all those thoughts processing, Jane failed to hear her breathing become heavy. She failed to notice her heart rate increase, or the flush that overtook her skin, until she felt her heart ache with a desire to kiss Maura, and run her hands through her hair, over her skin. When that happened, she turned her gaze back to the ceiling shocked at her discovery and the ferocity of her body's reaction.

Meanwhile, Maura's thoughts had gone to Jane's relationship with Casey, and the hurt that it appeared to be causing Jane. She thought about all the ways she would be able to make Jane happier, if only Jane was able to return her feelings. Feelings that were becoming clearer and clearer the more time she spent with the sexy detective. Her friendship with Jane had become the most reliable and comforting relationship she had ever had. She knew the moment her feelings began to progress beyond friendship that it was something she would never in this life find again. She also knew, however, that Jane was completely straight, and in a relationship and therefore the idea of anything more happened between them had to be pushed as far away from her conscious mind as possible. This was something that was getting increasingly hard to do… especially tonight.

Maura came out of her reverie when she heard a slight gasped come from Jane lying next to her.

"Jane?" she said, turning her head to face her. "Are you ok?"

"Mmhmm," Jane responded, closing her eyes so as to appear relaxed, and attempting to calm her breathing.

"Jane," Maura began, rolling onto her side so her body was now facing Jane. "I know you often don't like to talk about things. But I want you to know that you can. I can see you are troubled, and I'm not promising to have all the answers, but I'm here to listen if you want to talk, ok?" she finished, placing a hand on Janes forearm.

Jane took a deep breath before opening one eye and glancing at Maura. She saw the concern and sincerity in her eyes and relaxed.

"Thanks Maur," she replied with a small smile.

"You're welcome," Maura smiled back. "Now, are you staying?" she asked, patting Jane's arm before standing up and looking down at Jane for her answer.

"Do you mind?" Jane asked, already knowing the answer.

Maura just smiled and tilted her head to the side as if to say 'what a silly question'.

"You know where to find me," Maura replied before walking out the door and closing it behind her.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Thank you for the feedback (every writer likes feedback, don't they? lol). This chapter was a little harder for me to write. Only because it's not all fluffy stuff, and I'm usually all about the fluffy stuff. You'll see what I mean :-)

Jane awoke the following morning to the sound of clatter coming from the kitchen. She went about her morning, getting ready work, before making her way into the kitchen. She was greeted by Maura sipping her morning coffee.

"Coffee?" Maura asked.

"Please," Jane replied just as her phone began to ring. She pulled it from its holster on her hip and answered, "Rizzoli."

Maura continued to make Jane a coffee, before her own phone began to ring. "Dr Isles."

"I'm on my way," Jane spoke into the phone, before hanging up the phone at the same time as Maura.

"Looks like I'll have to pick one up on the way," Jane sighed putting her jacket on which was slung over a stool from the night before.

"I have travel cups, Jane, if you'll just wait a couple of minutes," Maura replied, getting back to making Jane's coffee.

"I thought you didn't like me driving while I drank my coffee?" Jane replied humouredly. "I apparently leave _stains_ in your car, remember?"

"Well, we can take your car, so spill away, Jane," Maura replied with smile.

As promised, a couple of minutes later they were on their way. When they arrived at the crime scene, Detective Korsak was already there waiting for them.

"I don't care what you say, Maura. I'm very careful with my coffee," Jane complained to Maura as they approached the crime scene.

"Jane, you spilt coffee in my car. I could see the stain and I could smell it," Maura replied as she ducked under the police tape.

"You're _guessing_ it was me," Jane teased.

"No, I reached a conclusion by reasoning," Maura countered. "You are the only other person, besides me, who has been in my car."

Jane glanced at Maura with a smirk as they approached the body. "That's still guessing," Jane replied with a teasing smile.

Maura smiled and shook her head at Jane before she began to inspect the body.

"What have we got?" Jane asked detective Korsak, looking down at the body at their feet.

A woman was lying face down, half on the road, half on the footpath, legs obviously broken and protruding at an abnormal angle to her body. Her attire was immaculate. Her face was slightly visible underneath a sheet of dark hair, but it was easy to see that this was someone who took pride in her appearance.

"Victims name is Kimberley Chase. Hit and run took place…" Korsak began.

"Did you say Kimberley Chase?" Maura interrupted, a sense of urgency in her voice as she swiftly made her way around to look at the victims face.

Detective Korsak and Jane shared a look before Jane knelt down beside Maura as she inspected the body.

"Maura?" Jane began, lying a hand on Maura's back. "Maura, do you know her?"

"Yes," Maura responded, still carefully examining the body.

Jane exhaled loudly as she rubbed little circles on Maura's back. She looked up at Korsak whose face was sympathetic, before she scanned the people around her. She saw officers in the distance talking to witnesses.

"What are the witnesses accounts of what happened?" Jane asked Korsak as she stood to peruse the surroundings.

"A blue SUV sped down the street, ran the red light just here and swerved to hit her," Korsak stated. "They have red light camera's here, so we should get a hit on the car as soon as we get back to the station. I've sent Frost back already to get a start on it."

Jane looked back at the crowd of witnesses and noticed a woman she had recently met.

"Hey, Maura? Isn't that Kate, from last night?" Jane said, gesturing towards the witnesses.

Maura's head quickly shot up, looking towards the group of people Jane was pointing at.

"Yes, Jane, I believe it is," Maura replied, looking back at Jane. "Kimberley was a… friend of Kate's."

As both Maura and Jane's gaze turned back to the witnesses, they saw Kate do a double take on them, leaving a questioning glance in their direction. Jane watched as Maura took off her gloves and made her way to speak with Kate.

"Kate," Maura called out as she ducked back under the police tape.

"Maura," Kate replied, shock evident on her face. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm the Chief Medical Examiner," Maura explained. "I'm so sorry for your loss. Were you too still…"

"Oh, no. Not for a long time," Kate responded. "We were just catching up. Hadn't seen each other in years."

"Right," Maura replied. "You saw it happen?"

Kate nodded, a fresh set of tears springing to her eyes.

"I'm sorry Kate," Maura stated sympathetically. "I saw you over here and I just wanted to offer my condolences. And I want you to know that we will do everything we can to catch the person who did this."

"Thank you Maura," Kate replied. "It shouldn't be too hard, though. Her ex-husband drives a blue SUV."

"Ex-husband?" Maura replied, confused. "She was married?"

"Was, yes," Kate said before taking a calming breathe. "She left him for another woman."

Maura looked at Kate sympathetically once more, before looking back at Jane and Korsak hovering around Kimberley's body.

"I better get back," Maura sighed, turning back to Kate and placing a soothing hand on her shoulder. "But maybe when all this is over, we can catch up."

Kate offered a small smile. "Sounds like a plan."

Maura smiled sadly again before heading back to the crime scene.

As Maura did her examination of the body, Jane went off to look at the scene around them. She envisioned the accident in her head, the car speeding down the street, swerving to hit the woman now lying in the gutter, before speeding off. There were tyre marks on the bitumen, which were currently being examined by the Crime Scene Investigators. There was a shoe on the ground twenty metres from the body. It was obvious to Jane that this was no accident. As she was finishing up, her phone began to ring.

"Rizzoli," Jane answered. After a short pause, she looked back at Korsak before responding, "We're on our way."

"Jane?" Maura questioned, looking up at Jane from across the body. "I'm almost done here. I'm about to head back."

"Ok Maur," Jane replied. "Looks like we've got him already. Frost found the car, and we're heading there now. Let's hope this one is open and shut."

With a short affirmative nod from Maura, Jane was off to solve a murder, followed closely by Maura who had an autopsy to conduct.


	7. Chapter 7

It was 9pm before Jane finished for the day and headed to the morgue to see if Maura was finished also. As she approached Maura's office, she spotted the ME sitting at her desk going through paperwork. She stood frozen to the spot, watching the concentration on her face, and was overcome with a desire to smooth out the small lines between her brows and take away the tension that was obviously there. Her heart contracted and she held her breathe as she finally acknowledged the magnitude of her feelings for the beautiful ME. It wasn't until Maura sighed deeply and closed her paperwork that she knocked on the door, announcing her presence.

"Jane, hi," Maura responded, a tired smile gracing her face.

"Hey," Jane replied walking further into the office and sitting next to Maura on the edge of her desk.

"So?" Maura asked looking up at her, her voice and face depicting hope.

"He finally confessed," Jane replied, a glint of pride and relief in her voice. "And with the evidence you've already provided, I think he will go away for a very long time."

"Oh, that's a relief," Maura sighed, before getting up to hug Jane. "Thank you, Jane."

With one arm wrapped around Jane's waist and the other around her neck, Maura nuzzled into Jane's neck, enjoying the comfort and safety she felt being in Jane's embrace. Her fingers began to subconsciously caress the back of Jane's neck as Jane's hand on her back gently rubbed up and down in a comforting manner.

"I haven't done anything for you to be thanking me, Maura," Jane whispered as a shiver went down her spine from the gentle caress at her neck.

Maura's grip tightened around Jane when she felt tears begin to form in response to the overload of emotions that had transpired over the last 24 hours. She had met her past head on, confronted her feelings for Jane and solved the murder of an old acquaintance in this short span of time, and it wasn't until she was in Jane's arms that she finally allowed herself to relax, letting her emotions take over from her brain.

It was several minutes before Jane spoke again, after hearing a sniffle from Maura.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked, turning her head to kiss her Maura's temple before resting her cheek against it.

"Mm," Maura replied, slowly removing herself from Jane's arms before wiping tears from her cheek. "My place?" she asked, picking up her bag and turning to face Jane.

Jane responded with a smile and a nod, before following Maura out the door.

They sat under a blanket on Maura's sofa, facing each other, reflecting on the day.

"I still can't believe that he thought his actions were justified," Maura stated absentmindedly.

"The guys was a sociopath," Jane replied, leaning her head back on the couch. "Hey, did you manage to speak with Kate today?" she asked, turning her head to face Maura properly.

"Mm, I contacted her when you brought him in," Maura replied, leaning her head back to mirror Jane's position on the sofa.

"Is she coping ok?" Jane asked.

"She is, surprisingly," Maura replied. "I guess they really weren't very close any more. We arranged to catch up tomorrow after work."

Jane simply nodded, turning away from Maura and closing her eyes. She was finally starting to understand her feelings for Maura, and was now having to try and bite down the feeling of jealousy that just struck her.

"You should join us," Maura stated, holding her breathe and watching Jane for her response.

Jane looked back at Maura and saw the apprehension in her eyes. While she would have loved to have accepted the offer, she sensed that the invitation was offered with trepidation, and misunderstood that to mean it was offered in order to be polite.

"I wouldn't want to intrude," Jane finally replied, her eyes not leaving Maura's.

"That's impossible," Maura whispered, pleading with her eyes for Jane to understand how much she enjoyed spending time with her.

"I need to speak to Casey," Jane whispered, her eyes never breaking contact from Maura's.

"I understand," Maura replied, her eyes falling to the small space between them on the sofa.

Jane saw the disappointment in Maura's face, and felt a glimmer of hope that perhaps Maura's feelings were similar to her own. She lifted Maura's chin gently, encouraging Maura to look at her before she replied. "Do you?"

When Maura's eyes met Jane's again, she saw the sincerity and vulnerability behind those dark pools. Her breathe caught in her throat when Jane's eyes briefly glanced down at her lips before her thumb gently stroked along her jaw line. Unable to control herself, Maura slowly leant forward, glancing down at Jane's lips before looking back up into her eyes, seeking permission.

Jane knew what was happening. Maura was about to kiss her.

"Maura," Jane whispered, pleading with her to understand.

"Yes Jane?" Maura replied, watching as Jane's eyes closed. She saw this as permission, and moved the final few inches towards those soft lips before a hand on her chest stopped her.

"Don't," Jane whispered. "I can't," she continued, leaning her forehead against Maura's briefly before sitting back and disentangling herself from Maura.

Jane sat forward leaning her elbows on her knees, her head in her hands. She glanced back at Maura and saw her quickly wiping a tear from her eye. This was not the way she envisioned this going.

"I should go," Jane stated, before standing and looking down at Maura. "I'm sorry Maura," she stated before walking away from a confused Maura and out of the house.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N:These two chapters are short, so I wanted to get them to you all in quick succession. I am posting as I write, and sometimes I'm not sure which direction it will take. Happy to see some reviews guessing how it will go, though. It keeps me on my toes to make sure it's not too predictable.

Jane stood on Maura's porch, 3am, trying to work up the courage to enter her home. When she left earlier that night, so many regrets plagued her from the moment she stood to leave. She should never have let Maura try to kiss her. She should never have walked out without talking to Maura about it first. But what plagued her the most was realising she should never have been wasting so much time on men when the person she wanted to be with was right there in front of her all along.

She spent the evening reminiscing about her friendship with Maura. There were so many times, she recalled, that a simple glance or a simple touch between them was all that was needed to make her day better. She recalled many times that she had sought comfort in the arms of a man, in the bed of a man, and it barely registered in comparison to the comfort she felt at being in the presence of Maura. Just being around her, being able to see her or hear her was enough. Being in Maura's arms, she realised, was where she belonged… It was home.

She also realised that there were so many times when a simple look from Maura showed Jane all the love and adoration that Maura held for her. She knew that she kept those smiles just for her. She knew that there was no one else in the world that was privileged enough to be on the receiving end of one of Maura Isle's adoring gaze's. It had taken a revelation to confirm what all those touches and glances meant, and it was going to take another revelation from Jane to get to where they both wanted to be. Which is with each other.

So here she stood, keys in hand, desperate to open the door and seek the comfort of Maura's embrace. First things first, though… she needed to try and explain all this to Maura, and hope to god that she hadn't ruined her chances already.

She finally walked through the door, locking it behind her, and made her way to Maura's bedroom. When she opened the door, she saw Maura lying on her side, her bedside lamp still shining brightly. When she approached the bed and knelt down beside the sleeping beauty, she noticed her tear stained face and her heart almost broke. She reached out to wipe the evidence of tears from her face as she attempted to wake her gently.

"Maura, sweetie?" Jane whispered, gently brushing her hair from her face. "Maura?"

Maura began to wake, her eyes slowly opening, and finally adjusting to the light.

"Jane?" Maura whispered, confused. "What are you doing here?" She asked, moving to rest on her elbow and look questioningly at Jane.

"Maura, I…" Jane began, "I've been going crazy thinking about… so many things… I stuffed up, and I… I'm sorry, because… God, I hate to see you so upset, and I hate it more because I know this time it was me who caused you to be so upset, and I just want to make things right. I need to make it right."

"Jane," Maura began, shifting to sit up against the head of the bed. "You don't have to make anything right. It was my fault. I shouldn't have… I wasn't thinking. I'm the one who is sorry."

"No, no, no," Jane pleaded, standing up in order to sit on the edge of the bed, facing Maura. "Don't be sorry. Please, don't be sorry."

"I don't understand," Maura replied. "Jane, you're confusing me."

"I know, and I'm sorry," Jane said with a sigh. "I've been confused myself. But things are much clearer now, and there's something I need to tell you. I need you to hear this as much as I need to say it out loud."

Jane looked pleadingly at Maura, wishing for her to see just how important this moment was. When Maura nodded, Jane leant forward and placed her hand on Maura's shoulder before she began.

"Maura… I know every curve of your face. I know every freckle, every dimple, every line…" Jane whispered, running the back of her hand down Maura's cheek, letting her eyes lovingly roam over her face. "I know when you're happy, or sad, or confused, or surprised, even when you try to hide it. And it's not because I'm a detective; it's because I have spent too many hours watching you, mesmerised by you. Too many hours, for someone who is just a best friend, trying to make you smile, just to see those cute little dimples, and those eyes light up so bright that they warm up my soul."

"Brightly," Maura replied with a smile, tears of happiness forming in her eyes.

Jane smiled at Maura's need to always correct Jane of her non-use of Mr Adverb, and brushed a stray hair off her face before continuing.

"And what astounds me the most," she continued, holding Maura's gaze, "Is that I never see your smile so big, so bright, and so… honest, as when it is directed at me."

Maura reached up to caress the hand that now rested on her cheek. As a single tear fell from Maura's eye, she nodded and smiled, agreeing with Jane's observation.

"I've been so blind for so long, and the last 24 hours have opened my eyes to something that has been there since the day we met," Jane said expressively.

"When you were dressed as a hooker?" Maura asked humouredly.

Jane let a small bout of laughter encompass her before replying, "To be completely honest, yes. Even then, I was in awe of you. Your kindness, your beauty, and even your google-mouth," Jane said with a smile.

Jane let her words sink in, and only continued once she heard Maura's breathe hitch, confirming that she realised what she was saying.

"But Maura, I can't do this just yet. Not because I don't want to, but because I can't be feeling what I'm feeling when I have a boyfriend. So I need to speak to Casey," Jane stated again, looking questioningly at Maura to see if she now understood. "Do you understand? I mean, will you…"

"Jane, I understand," Maura replied, finally seeing the full picture. "And I will. I've waited years to hear you speak those words to me, what's a few more… weeks?" Maura questioned.

"Days," Jane replied, "Hours if it's possible," Jane finished with a cheeky smile.

Jane waited for Maura to take a shaky breathe and nod, before wrapping her arms around her with a husky "come here" and held her tightly to her chest. They held each other for as long as possible, allowing themselves to indulge in this small amount of physical contact.

"I should go," Jane finally spoke, before pulling away to look at Maura. "See you tomorrow?"

"Yes, you will," Maura replied, just as Jane sat forward and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Good night Maura," Jane whispered as she rose from the bed and walked out Maura's door for the second time that night.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I've realised whilst writing this story the reason why I have only ever written short stories... I'm too impatient, and want to get to the Rizzles too quickly. lol

Jane was sitting at her desk by 8am that morning, grateful that there was no homicide to investigate. She had spent the entire night torn between feelings of happiness, dread, fear and hope. She was happy that she was able to conjure up enough courage to tell Maura how she felt, and even happier that Maura appear to share her sentiments. But this happiness then turned to fear of what might happen if things didn't work out. Her friendship with Maura was so important to her, and she was afraid that if things went badly, they may never get that back. She was thus hoping and praying that she was making the right decision.

She was riddled with dread about the impending conversation she was to have with Casey. It was an unusual predicament that she found herself in. She didn't dislike Casey. In fact, she liked him a lot. She knew, however, that she was not, and never would be, _in love_ with Casey. The fact that she cared for him was going to make that conversation difficult. She did not want to hurt him, but she reasoned that not hurting him now might only lead to more pain later on. She knew that to be fair to Casey, and to herself, she needed to have this conversation, and she needed not to drag it out. It was unfortunate that she could not speak with him in person, but alas, it needed to be done sooner rather than later.

To say she was tired was an understatement. But her tiredness was as much mental and emotional as it was physical. So rather than sit at her desk and risking falling asleep in front of her partner, she opted to make her routine visit to the morgue, picking up a decent coffee for herself and Maura on the way.

Maura had spent the morning wondering if the previous night had actually happened. While she was sure that it had, she was equally as hopeful that it did not have a drastic negative impact on her relationship with Jane. If she knew Jane at all, she predicted that Jane had spent the night coming up with all sorts of 'what ifs' and she was fearful that Jane might walk in to the morgue and pretend that it never happened. She recalled her 3am visit from Jane, and understood the courage it must have taken for Jane to open up to her the way she did. But in the light of a new day, she wasn't sure Jane was emotionally strong enough to continue down the path they were headed.

As Maura stood in her scrubs over an open dead body, Jane approached her quietly with a coffee in each hand, not wanting to disturb the ME. She waited patiently, watching her work, enjoying the warmth that flowed through her at the mere sight of her.

"We have the final lab results from the Chase case," one of Maura's lab technicians stated as she came into the morgue. "Oh, hi Detective Rizzoli."

At the greeting to Jane, Maura's head spun around, and was startled to find Jane standing some three metres from her, a guilty look on her face.

"Jane," Maura stated gently, "I didn't hear you come in."

"I didn't want to disturb you," Jane replied with a small smile. "I brought you coffee. Thought you might need it."

They shared a smile while Maura placed her utensil down and removed her gloves, her eyes never leaving Janes.

"Thank you," Maura replied, accepting the offered coffee.

"Should I just leave them on your desk?" the lab tech asked, obviously feeling as though she was intruding on a private moment.

"Yes, sorry," Maura replied turning to face her. "Um… No, actually, I'll take them."

Maura took the offered results and began to flick through the pages. She waited for the technician to leave before allowing herself to glance back up at Jane. Jane, who was now smirking at her from behind her cup as she sipped her coffee.

"What's so funny?" Maura asked with a questioning smile of her own.

This only seemed to make Jane's smirk get bigger. When Jane's eyes glanced around the room, making sure no one was around, Maura realised that whatever Jane had to say was private, so she lead the way to her office.

Maura walked straight to her desk chair and sat, turning to face Jane just as she was closing the office door behind her. Jane turned to face Maura and subconsciously began to slowly walk towards Maura. They smiled at one another, not a word spoken between them, and every time one of them would smile a little bigger, the other would smile just that little bit more. Jane came to rest on the desk beside Maura for the second time in as many days.

"You have the most gorgeous smile," Maura whispered without thought, and without realising that she has spoken aloud until Janes' smile faltered a little and she turned her eyes to the coffee in her hand.

"Any regrets?" Maura asked as her smile was replaced with a look of concern.

Jane looked back at Maura, a hint of fear and confusion behind her eyes. "No, no regrets," she replied huskily. "I guess I'm just scared," she whispered, so softly that Maura almost missed it.

Maura looked at the forlorn look on Jane's face and tried to lighten the mood. "Jane Rizzoli, scared? I always thought you were fearless," she replied softly with a small smile.

She was rewarded with a small smile from Jane who placed her coffee cup down on the desk and folded her arms in mock indignation.

"What are scared of?" Maura asked, before standing and placing herself in front of Jane, her hands resting on Jane's forearms.

"It's just surreal, that's all," Jane finally admitted. "Two days ago I was complaining about not being able to talk to my boyfriend, and now I can't take my eyes off my best friend in a pair of scrubs."

"You like these?" Maura replied cheekily, spreading her arms out and shaking her shoulders.

They shared a chuckle before Maura responded properly.

"Two days ago, Jane, you were still looking at me like the rest of the world didn't exist," Maura stated seriously.

"Mm, okay, that's true," Jane replied with a slight chuckle. "I guess..."

"Don't guess," Maura interrupted.

"I suppose…"

"Jane," Maura said in mock warning.

Jane smiled at Maura before trying again. "I _understand _now that I just didn't realise what it meant."

"You knew, Jane," Maura replied, bringing a hand to Jane's cheek. "You were just scared. But you don't need to be, because… Jane… I've been looking at you like that for as long as I've known you. And it scared me too, at first, but… it would scare me more to have us both acknowledge this, and do nothing about it."

Jane let out the breath she had been holding and leaned forward to rest her forehead upon Maura's.

"Can I kiss you yet?" Maura asked in a hushed tone, her eyes closed enjoying their closeness.

"Almost," Jane replied, and, as if on cue, her phone began to ring.

Jane glanced down at her phone, removing it from her belt whilst maintained contact with Maura. She brought the phone up between them, and they both saw the name 'Casey' flash across the screen. Jane looked up at Maura apologetically.

"Don't apologise," Maura stated. "Take the call."

Jane kissed Maura's head before walking out of Maura's office answering her phone.


	10. Chapter 10

Jane was walking out of the precinct, making small talk with Casey hoping to get away from prying ears before having the much anticipated conversation.

"I'm glad you called, Casey," Jane sighed after a short pause in the conversation as she began walking to a nearby park.

"Well, you left so many messages, it was kind of hard to ignore," Casey replied, seemingly honoured to have been missed so much.

"Yea, actually, about that…" Jane began, before taking a deep breath, exhaling loudly.

"Have you been missing me?" Casey asked, with a twinkle of coyness in his voice.

"Casey, that's not… I just needed to talk to you about…" Jane began, surprisingly unsure of how to start the conversation considering the amount of time she spent dwelling on it over the past 24 hours. "There's something I need to tell you."

"I'm sensing you don't miss me," Casey replied, dejectedly.

"I do miss you Casey," Jane stated with regret obvious in her voice.

"But?"

"But…" Jane replied with a sigh, running her hand through her hair as she sat on a bench in the park. "But, I don't miss you as much as I should."

Jane held her breath, hoping that he understood what she meant, as she waited for some sort of response.

"I do care about you Casey," Jane stated, not able to wait any longer.

"Is there someone else?"

Images of Maura swept through her mind. Her smile, her eyes, that bashful look she gives her over the rim of a glass of wine…

"Yes," she replied, forlorn. "Nothing has happened, but…"

"You want it to," he replied.

Jane took a shaky breath before replying, "Yes."

Jane sat, leaning forward on the bench seat with her elbows on her knees, resisting the temptation to bite her nails.

"Do you love him?" Casey asked.

Jane was torn. If she was to be honest with Casey, and tell him 'he' was a 'she', it would be the first step to accepting and acknowledging to the outside world that she wanted a woman. She was also not sure how he might react. But if she lied to him, it would speak volumes about her inability to accept who she was, and who she loved.

"Her," Jane whispered, almost inaudibly, in response.

"I'm sorry, what?" Casey replied, not quite believing what he heard.

"I said 'her'. I love her, Casey," Jane replied, tears forming in her eyes.

Jane was met with silence from the other end of the call. She looked around the park absentmindedly, wiping the stray tear that had fallen from her cheek. She felt relief at being able to be honest with him, but was nervous about his reaction.

"Casey?" Jane pleaded.

"I'm sorry Jane. I can't do this right now," Casey replied. "Look, I have to go."

"Casey, wait," Jane pleaded again.

"It's ok Jane, you're off the hook," he replied before hanging up the phone.

Jane sat on the bench for some time, relieved but also shocked about what had just occurred. If she were to read Casey's reaction correctly (and she was a detective, so it was something she generally did well), then she would have to conclude that he was not comfortable with her being with another woman. It left her wondering: Was it just because she was leaving him, or was this just how people were going to react to this news?

She had, only briefly, considered how all this would affect her life beyond Maura and herself. She wasn't naïve enough to think that it would be an easy step to take, but her conversation with Casey had left her decidedly fearful of how the people closest to her, her family and friends, were going to react. Her family loved Maura. That much was obvious. But how would they take the news of her and Maura being a couple?

Before she had too much time to dwell on this question, her phone buzzed. She was surprised to note that she had been sitting in the park for almost 2 hours since she hung up with Casey. She smiled when she noticed that the message was from Maura.

**Are you okay? M**

She quickly replied, **I'll be ok. You can kiss me now ;-) J**, before she sat back in the bench and actually took notice of where she was, and who was around her. That's when she noticed Maura walking gracefully towards her, phone in hand. Her smile was slight, there was a light breeze playing with her hair, and she swayed with an elegance that only Maura could portray. She was, in a word, beautiful. She was breathtaking. And she made this difficult moment easier for Jane to handle, just by being there.

"How did you know where to find me?" Jane asked as Maura sat down beside her on the bench.

Maura just smiled at her, taking in the sadness and hurt that was showing behind her eyes.

"And how do you always manage to make every moment better?" Jane whispered, reaching out to brush a stray hair from Maura's face.

"It's the dopamine," Maura responded with a smile as she re-crossed her legs and turned to face Jane a little more.

"Okay, Dopawhat?" Jane asked with a hint of laughter in her voice.

"Dopamine is a vital part of the brain's desire and reward system and is released in response to anything addictive, including things like cocaine, nicotine… love." Maura finished in hushed tones.

Jane stared at Maura in wonderment, in awe of her ability to have an answer for everything.

"Are you suggesting that I may have a drug addiction?" Jane asked humouredly.

"During the excitement of new love, your brain releases lots of phenyl ethylamine, which functions like a natural amphetamine," Maura explained. "This is what triggers the release of dopamine. It triggers a rush of pleasure and so reinforces the behaviour that made you feel good."

"Maura," Jane replied with a smile.

"There's also the neurotransmitter serotonin, which is linked with the feelings of calmness and well-be.."

Maura was halted from her explanation when Jane's lips landed on hers. It was brief, and soft, but it was all Jane needed to do to get her google-mouth under control. Jane leaned back slightly, looking adoringly at Maura who sat, eyes lightly closed and mouth slightly open.

When Maura finally opened her eyes, she saw the smile on Jane's face and couldn't hold back her own smile.

"Are you hungry?" Jane asked.

Maura raised an eyebrow at Jane teasingly, before replying, "Starving."

Jane chuckled huskily. "I bet you are," she teased, "But I was referring to the lunch variety of hunger."

They shared a smile before Maura nodded and stood, ready to leave.

"Dirty Robber?" Maura asked, clinging to Jane's arm as she stood and offered it to her. "We can chat," she finished, glancing up and smiling warmly at Jane.

"Yea, sounds good," Jane replied as they walked off, arm in arm, down the hill.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Another short chapter, sorry. Slowly, but eventually, I will get there :-)

Maura and Jane sat in a booth sharing a drink as they waited on their meals. It was a comfortable silence that neither felt the need to fill. The not so subtle glances spoke volumes, and the fact that they could openly admire each other now was a welcomed delight. When their meals arrived, however, Maura's google-mouth go the better of her.

"Did you know that snails can sleep for three years without eating," Maura stated absentmindedly whilst placing a napkin on her lap.

The waiter looked at Maura like she had grown an extra head. Jane looked at the waiter, trying not to laugh. While Jane may have been used to Maura blurting out random facts, it was always funny to see how others reacted. When the waiter walked away, having placed their meals in front of them, Jane erupted into laughter.

"What's so funny?" Maura asked, innocently, taking a sip of her drink.

"Maura, where do you come up with this stuff?" Jane asked between small spurts of laughter.

"What do you mean?" Maura asked, tilting her head to question Jane whilst picking up her fork.

"Sometimes I wonder how your brain can go from zero to snail in less than a second," Jane replied before taking a bite of her salad.

"I'll have you know, my brain is never at zero," she stated looking at Jane in mock ire, before glancing down at her meal. "You're eating Kale again. I told you it was enjoyable," she stated with a wink before biting into her own salad.

"It's not enjoyable," Jane sighed, "Its Rabbit food."

"The giant African land snail is known to eat more than 500 different types of plants," Maura replied with a smile.

"I'm not a snail, Maura," Jane replied in pseudo annoyance. "Nor am I a rabbit," she finished unable to hide her smile.

"So why are you eating Kale?" Maura asked, looking a picture of innocence.

Jane looked at Maura and saw the innocent expression, knowing full well that Maura knew she ate Kale for her.

"Why do you rattle off random facts?" Jane replied, ignoring the question.

"Maybe I just want to impress you with said random facts," Maura stated flirtatiously.

"Well, maybe I'm impressed," Jane replied huskily, eyes flirting back.

"Maybe I am too," Maura stated sheepishly.

They smiled at each other before for several moments before the conversation turned to more serious topics.

"So how did your talk with Casey go?"

"Ah, well, I'm pretty sure he's not happy that I'm leaving him for a woman," Jane replied, shaking her head.

"So you told him everything then?" Maura asked, surprised.

"Well, not everything," Jane replied with a sigh. "I told him I… I told him it was a woman, but he hung up before I had a chance to tell him it was you."

Maura stopped eating mid bite, her fork frozen in mid-air and her mouth slightly open, as a result of the honesty she had just witnessed from Jane. While she knew that Jane was ending things with Casey, she wasn't expecting her to tell him there was someone else, or that that someone was a woman, and certainly not that it was her.

When Jane finally looked up, noticing the silence from the opposite side of the table, she took another bite of her Kale before covering her mouth to question Maura's lack of response and current 'deer in headlights' reaction.

"What? Should I not have told him?" Jane asked, eyebrows knitting together.

"No, yes, I'm just…" Maura replied, placing her fork down and attempting to find with words. She looked at Jane deeply, her own eyebrows knitting in confusion.

"You're just?" Jane asked, placing her fork down also.

"I'm surprised," Maura finally said, looking at Jane with a startled smile. "I wasn't expecting that you would be so comfortable with all this."

"To be honest, I'm not," Jane sighed. "I'm freaking out a little, but… I want to be with you, so… the rest will have to fall into place," she finished with a shrug.

"We'll get through it together," Maura replied, placing her hand over Janes across the table.

"Yea, I know," Jane replied with an awe filled smile. "So, do you have plans tonight, Doctor Isles?" Jane asked huskily.

Maura sighed regrettably, before replying, "Yes. I agreed to meet with Kate tonight, remember?"

"Ah, yes, that's right," Jane replied, looking back at her plate and resuming her meal. "How could I forget Kate?"

"Jane," Maura purred, "Are you jealous?"

"I don't do jealous," Jane replied, taking a bite of her meal.

"You are!" Maura replied in shock. "Seriously, Jane, after everything that's happened in the last 24 hours, do you honestly think that I could possible look at another person, let alone be doing something that might warrant jealousy?"

When Jane looked up, she saw the honest, playful smile on Maura's face and knew she was being silly.

"Come by afterwards?" Jane replied sullenly.

"Try and stop me," Maura replied with a silent promise, before finishing her meal.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Love all the feedback. Thank you all so much. Let's heat things up a little, yea? ;-)

Jane's doorbell rang as she sat on her sofa, lost in her thoughts. She glanced at the clock on her wall, beer in hand, before walking to answer the door. She wasn't expecting Maura yet, as she herself had only just arrived home and she knew Maura was meeting up with Kate after work. She was therefore surprised to find Maura standing there with a huge smile when she swung the door open.

"So, Kate was completely shocked that you and were not a couple," Maura said casually as she walked past Jane who was holding the door open.

"Ah, Maura?" Jane enquired, wondering what she was doing there so early.

"Well, not when we first saw her anyway," Maura elaborated.

"That was the quickest 'catch up' ever," Jane replied as she closed the door and followed Maura into the kitchen. "Not that I'm complaining," she added with a twinkle in her eye.

"Well, when I explained to her our; as in yours and mine; relationship, she insisted that we catch up properly another time," Maura explained, pouring herself a glass of wine.

"And what exactly did you explain to her," Jane asked mischievously, before finishing her beer and placing the empty bottle on the bench.

Maura turned her focus away from the wine and rested against the bench, watching Jane confidently stroll towards her. She was still dressed in her work clothes, minus button up top and jacket. Her tight fit singlet accentuating her impeccable breasts, her smart, black trousers sitting low on her hips, showing the slightest bit of flesh between the two articles of clothing. She was a picture of confidence with her cocky smirk and slow swagger.

"My god you are sexy," Maura whispered, her breathe catching in her throat.

"Really?" Jane questioned with a raised eyebrow. "You told her I was sexy?" she replied, stopping in front of her.

Lost in her gaze, Maura simply shook her head, her eyes slowly running the length of Jane's body, from her lips, past her neck, over the swell of her breasts and down to those magnificent abdominal muscles that she had long been eager to run her hands over.

"No?" Jane asked, teasingly, raising her eyebrows as Maura's eyes finally found their way back to her own.

Maura tilted her head, biting her bottom lip, "I didn't have to."

Maura wrapped her arms around Jane's neck, her hands automatically caressing her beautiful locks. Their eyes remained locked as Jane's hands fell onto Maura's hips.

"I can kiss you now," Maura whispered, her eyes roaming Jane's face

"Please do," Jane replied as her eyes glanced down at those kissable lips.

Without hesitation, Maura leant up while pulling Jane's head down and kissed the lips she had long dreamt about. What began as a gentle exploration of mouths, where quiet gasps and moans filled the air and hands hesitantly caressed soft skin, quickly became urgent as the years of pent up attraction and sexual frustration became too much to control.

Unable to ignore the desire to be as close to Maura as possible, Jane dipped her body low, wrapping her arms tighter around the beautiful woman, deepening the kiss and forcing Maura onto her toes. Loud groans of pleasure escaped when their breasts pressed together, nipples hardening instantaneously at the contact. Maura's carefully manicured hands clasping onto fistfuls of hair, unable to get enough of Jane.

The flick of Maura's tongue across Jane's lips, seeking entrance which was quickly granted, sent a throb of excruciating pleasure straight to Jane's core. She moved her hands lower, capturing Maura's gluteus in both hands as Maura's leg instinctually wrapped itself around her waist. She lifted Maura up onto the bench, both legs now wrapping around her, and pulled their bodies closer… tighter.

Jane's hands fanatically untucked Maura's top and found smooth skin. Hands roaming across her back and stomach, as Maura found the front of Jane's top, gripping it, pulling her closer still. Hands continued to roam feverishly as they finally broke for air.

"Wholly crap," Jane cursed, trying to catch her breath as she leant her forehead against Maura's, their eyes closed attempting to slow things down a little.

"Language," Maura replied breathlessly.

Jane chuckled slightly, "That was…" she breathed, unable to find a word to describe just how amazing that was.

"Hot?" Maura replied sitting back to look at Jane with a grin.

"Yes," Jane replied, followed by a sexy chuckle. "Are you channelling Giovanii?"

They held onto each other as if their lives depended on it, trying to regain their composure and catch their breaths. Their eyes held, gazing at one another, silent pleas and promises being made, and the intensity of the moment was not lost on either of them.

"Maura," Jane whispered, bringing her hand up to caress the side of her face. "Before we… I mean, I haven't really told you… But… I just…" Jane stuttered, before sighing in frustration. "God. Real smooth, Rizzoli," she said to herself, looking down, frustrated at her inability to say what she wanted to say.

"Jane?" Maura replied with a smile, clasping Jane's chin and lifting her face so she could look her in the eyes. "I love you too, Jane," she finished, glancing at her lips as she ran her thumb tenderly across them.

Jane smiled in response, loving the way Maura knew what she was trying to say. "I love the way you look at me," Jane whispered, tucking her hair away from her face. "No one's ever looked at me the way you do."

"No one has ever loved you the way I do," Maura replied, sitting forward to capture her lips again, pouring all the love she could into the kiss.

The kiss turned into a nuzzle, cheeks brushing together, before Janes lips found their way to Maura's neck, leaving a trail of wet kisses in their wake.

"I wanted to do this right," Jane said, kissing her way down to her collarbone as her hands began to unbutton her blouse. "I was going to shower, and… make you dinner… light some candles."

"It's never felt so right," Maura replied, closing her eyes and tilting her head back, enjoying the small kisses Jane was placing across her chest. "But if you like, we can shower together?"

Jane stopped her ministrations and stood back to look at Maura. With her blouse unbuttoned and untucked, red lace bra perfectly encompassing her glorious breasts, untamed hair hanging loosely around her face and those eyes burning right into her soul, how could she deny this woman anything?

"Okay," Jane finally responded, moving in for one last kiss before grasping Maura's hands in her own and pulling her down from the bench, leading the way to the bathroom.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: This chapter comes with a NC-17 rating... It is quite explicit, but I suspect it is what reviewers were hoping for so I couldn't disappoint :-) Probably only one more chapter after this one.

As she walked backwards the short distance to the shower, her eyes never leaving Maura's, Jane began pulling her singlet over her head and kicking her shoes off down the hall. Maura slid her blouse off her shoulders, letting it fall to the floor, unable to worry about it getting wrinkled as she was incapable of taking her eyes or her mind off Jane stripping in front of her.

Maura's shoes and pants followed as she watched Jane unbuckle her belt at an agonisingly slow speed whilst entering the bathroom. Jane opened the shower door to turn the water on and stepped back out to continue undressing. Unable to keep her hands to herself any longer, Maura reached for Janes hips.

"Let me help you, Jane," Maura said huskily, hands going straight to unbuckle her belt, her lips halting just short of Janes, enjoying the feel of simply sharing the same air as her. Their eyes locked again as Maura unzipped her pants and let them fall to the floor.

"I love you," Jane murmured, lifting Maura's arms to wrap them around her neck, before wrapping her arms around her waist. "I love you so much," she repeated against Maura's lips before seeking out her tongue with her own.

Underwear soon fell to the floor as they moved towards the shower, arms wrapped around each other and lips never parting. A slight chuckle fell from Maura into Jane's mouth, surprising Jane and causing her to lift her head and look questioningly at her.

"Jane, your socks," Maura laughed, looking down as if to emphasise her point.

They shared a laugh before Jane hopped on one leg, holding Maura for balance, removing the items of clothing, almost falling in the process. They continued to giggle after her socks were discarded, Jane pushing Maura into the steaming shower.

Under the warm spray of water, hands roamed without thought and their bodies became one. Pushing Jane against the shower wall, Maura slipped her leg between Janes, unable to control herself from grinding their hips together. Jane moaned into her mouth in response, sliding her hands down to her gluteus to hold her there, enjoying the pressure as they glided deliberately against each other.

Maura's left arm wrapped around Jane's waist offering support while her right hand moved purposely towards her goal. Jane's muscles twitched encouragingly as her hand moved over her skin, over those perfect abdominal muscles, moving into position and cupping her mound. With lips continuing their assault on Jane's neck, breasts, mouth… anything in reach, encouraged by Jane's hands tangled carelessly in her hair, a single finger slid over her nub, eliciting an untamed groan from Jane as her head fell back against the shower wall. Small, tantalising circles elicited cries and whimpers that pleaded for more.

"Oh, god, Maura," Jane cried out, as two fingers expertly found their way to her entrance, slipping confidently inside of her, Maura's palm keeping a steady rhythm against her. She held Maura's head between her hands and moved in for a bruising kiss, moaning into her mouth as her hips began to grind against her hand.

"Maura, I'm so…" Jane whimpered, closing her eyes as she felt her climax quickly approaching.

"Open your eyes, Jane," Maura pleaded, holding her close as she sped up her rhythmic thrusts. "Jane. Look at me, baby, please," she begged.

Jane opened her eyes and looked into hazel eyes so full of love and lust that it sent her over the edge.

"That's it," Maura gasped, covering Jane's mouth with her own, "come for me, Jane," she breathed into her mouth as she felt Jane's walls clench around her fingers.

"Oooh, myyy goooooood," Jane cried out as wave after wave of pleasure overtook her body, all her senses becoming heightened until the waves subsided.

Tears fell from Jane's eyes, mingling with the shower sprays as she collapsed into Maura. Her head rested on Maura's, arms haphazardly thrown over her shoulders, as Maura struggled to keep her upright.

"Jane?" Maura whispered into her ear and gently kissing her head encouraging a response. "Are you ok?"

"Mmhmm," Jane replied, attempting to stand on her own again. "That was amazing, Maur," Jane sighed, resting her forehead against Maura's, still unsteady on her legs.

"That," Maura replied, "was the sexiest thing I've ever had the privilege of witnessing."

Jane lazily lifted her gaze to look into her eyes, "You have obviously pleased a woman before," she stated with a tired and knowing smile.

"Not the right one," Maura replied seriously, brushing the hair off Jane's face, looking her straight in the eye.

"There…" Jane began, taking a shaky breath, "That's that look I love the most," she finished, holding Maura's gaze and bringing her hand to her cheek.

Maura smiled at her adoringly, "Let's wash up and go to bed."

After washing and drying, they fell into bed not bothering with clothing and lay facing each other.

"What are you thinking about?" Maura asked, caressing her hand as it lay between them.

"I was thinking how easy this is," Jane replied, smiling. "It feels like we've been doing this all along."

"You know, in a way, we almost have," Maura replied. "Well, without the sex."

Jane chuckled huskily at Maura's response, understand what she was implying, before elaborating.

"But even that is… just… I don't know. We just fit, you know?"

"I know," Maura whispered.

"I am nervous, though," Jane sighed, looking away briefly.

"About?"

"I've never… I mean, you've… and I've not… you know," she finished, hoping Maura would understand what she meant.

Maura moved slowly, shifting her body to her hands and knees above Jane and rolling her onto her back.

"Trust your instincts," Maura whispered before capturing her lips briefly.

"Well, they haven't let me down yet," Jane replied with a smirk.

"Exactly," Maura replied with a sexy smile of her own. "But you know, I'm already so close…"

"I've barely even touched you," Jane replied surprisingly.

"It is possible for a woman to reach orgasm without actually being touched," Maura smiled as she let the length of her body lay on top of Janes.

"I'm not sure I could possibly allow such a thing," Jane relied huskily, before rolling Maura onto her back, effectively switching their positions.

This enticed a moan from Maura who reached up and brought Jane's lips crashing down onto her own. When Jane's thigh slipped between her legs, putting pressure against her centre, Maura's hand found itself grasping Jane's behind and rocking their bodies into a rhythm.

Jane's lips began their decent, leaving a trail of wetness down Maura's neck. Her tongue lapped up the small beads of sweat that began to form on Maura's breasts, circling her nipple teasingly. A whimper from Maura encouraged her as she captured a nipple in her mouth, flicking it with her tongue before sucking on it. She moved to offer her other breast the same affections, before moving further south, covering her skin with nips and licks.

Maura groaned with pleasure when Jane's breasts inadvertently fell to her centre and her hands instinctively found their way to Jane's hair.

"Jane," Maura moaned, hips lifting off the bed wanting more. "Come up here, Jane," she eventually whispered, encouraging Jane up by gently pulling on her shoulders.

Jane immediately came back up her body, eyes now level with lust filled hazel orbs. "What's wrong?" Jane asked, worried she had done something wrong.

"Nothing, Jane," Maura sighed, her eyes lovingly wandering across Jane's face, "Nothing's wrong. I just need you up here with me. Is that ok?"

"Yes," Jane replied in hushed tones, before she was pulled down again for another bruising kiss.

Maura's hand found Jane's and laced their fingers together, before running Jane's hands over her breasts and down her abdomen to where she needed her most.

"Instinctual," Maura whispered against Jane's lips before her tongue again sought out Janes.

Jane's left hand found Maura's right hand, entwining their fingers as her left hand glided into a pool of warmth.

"Oh, wow," Jane moaned, enjoying the feel of silky wetness she had caused.

"Jane," Maura pleaded into their kiss, needing more.

As one, then two fingers slipped inside her, Maura's orgasm was already beginning to build. She wrapped a leg around Jane's thighs bringing her left hand to Jane's back as her hips began to buck against Jane's hand. Delicate nails dragged themselves down Jane's back, causing a rush of wetness between Jane's legs. Maura's hand landed on Jane's behind, pulling Jane's thigh to increase the pressure to her sex, simultaneously causing Jane's wetness to rub against her own thigh.

"Oh, God, Maura," Jane groaned, moving her head to the crook of Maura's neck, sucking on her sensitive flesh.

Their bodies rocked together passionately when Maura's orgasm hit her, exploding through her body as cries of pleasure escaped her lips. Maura's cries sent Jane over the edge with her and Maura grasped her head and fused their lips together again with hunger letting the waves of both their orgasms wash through them.

Jane let her forehead rest upon Maura's as they both tried desperately to regain their breath. Unable to move, Jane's body relaxed pining an unbothered Maura to the bed.

"I love you," Jane breathed, kissing her lips again tenderly.

"I love you too, Jane," Maura replied with a smile.

"I can't move," Jane said with a sleepy chuckle.

Maura chuckled in response, "I don't want you to," she replied, wrapping her arm around her tightly.

They held each other tightly as they regained with breath and their bodies came down from their high.

"Mm, sleepy," Jane sighed, laying her head on Maura's shoulder.

"Well, I was going to suggest you give me five minutes and then we can go for round three," Maura replied humouredly.

Jane's body shook as she chuckled. "You're trying to kill me."

"Death by orgasm?" Maura joked, "Impossible. But what a way to go."

Jane lifted her head to look at the beautiful face beneath her. "Agreed," Jane replied teasingly, pinning Maura's arms above her head. "But if I don't sleep soon, it will be death by lack of sleep."

"Well, technically, we have several days before…"

"Maura?" Jane said, cutting her off.

"Yes?"

"Shush," Jane answered with a smile, before leaning down to kiss her again.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: This is the final Chapter. Thank you to everyone for all the great reviews.

Jane woke the next morning with visions of the previous night (and the early morning) filtering through her memory. She smiled lazily as she looked down at the head of honey gold hair spread across her chest. She gently brushed the hair from Maura's face and let her eyes roam over her. To Jane, Maura was more beautiful this morning, in this moment, than she had ever been, and she hadn't even opened her eyes yet.

Feeling movement beneath her, Maura awoke groggily and embraced the body beneath her, enjoying the scent of Jane's body and the smoothness of her naked skin. Her eyes fluttered open to find Jane gazing lovingly at her.

"Morning," Jane croaked, her voice still rusty from sleep.

"Mmm, good morning," Maura replied before she kissed Jane's lips and nuzzled into her neck.

Jane traced lazy circles on Maura's back as they lay there enjoying their cuddle. Warm breaths tickled her neck and Maura's hand familiarly stroked her stomach leaving tingles and goose bumps all over her skin.

"I could get used to waking up like this every morning," Jane said softly before she kissed the top of Maura's head.

Maura gently extracted herself from Jane's embrace to lay on her side, her elbow on the bed and her hand holding up her head. She traced her fingers over Jane's stomach, up between her breasts and back down again, she watched, fascinated, as Jane's body responded with goose bumps wherever her hand went. She looked back up into Jane's eyes, and rested her hand on her hip before she responded.

"I would really like to wake up like this every morning, Jane," Maura stated seriously.

Jane maintained eye contact as she attempted to gauge just how serious Maura was, and just what her statement may have been implying.

"Maura, are you asking me what I think you're asking me?" Jane finally replied.

"Well, technically, I didn't ask you anything. I merely voiced my desires," Maura replied cheekily, "But if you were to interpret what I said as a question, what do you think I was asking?"

As Jane was about to respond, her stomach growled long and loud. They both glanced down at the offending stomach before sharing a laugh.

"I think it's trying to tell us something," Jane said with a giggle. "How about we talk about this over breakfast," she suggested as she played with Maura's hair.

"Mmm, ok," Maura replied before she leaned in for another kiss. "Do you want to join me in the shower?"

"If I do that," Jane replied as she kissed her way down Maura's neck, "My poor stomach will think I have deserted it."

"So, is that a no?" Maura asked as she rested her head against Janes and ran her hand down the length of her body.

Jane looked down at her stomach, patting it gently, "Sorry, you're going to have to wait," she said, talking to her stomach, before rolling over a giggling Maura and dragging her to the shower.

When they finally dressed and made it to the kitchen, Jane occupied herself with making breakfast while Maura made them both coffee.

"Have you thought about how you are going to tell your family?" Maura asked, glancing over her shoulder at Jane who was busy chopping up fruit.

"Not really," Jane replied, not looking up. "I mean, it's not like I can just walk up to Ma and say 'hey Ma, you can stop setting me up on dates now because I'm gay and in love with my best friend'."

Neither of them heard the back door open as Angela walked in. "You're gay?" Angela asked in shock as she stood inside the back door.

"Shit, Ma, where did you come from?" Jane replied as she jumped in shock and dropped the knife she was holding.

"Well, that'll work," Maura said quietly as she turned to face the two women.

"You're in love with Maura?" Angela asked with a smile. "And you two are together? When did this happen? Why didn't you tell me sooner?" she continued as she moved around to stand in front of Jane. "And why were you so afraid to tell me?" she finished, seemingly a little put out as she lightly smacked Jane's arm.

"Ouch, Ma!" Jane whined, grimacing and holding her arm.

Angela stood looking between Jane and Maura, her smile having returned and her eyebrows raised questioningly waiting for answers. "Well?"

"Actually, Angela, this is only a very recent development," Maura stated, stepping forward. She glanced at Jane, seeking permission to carry on, and continued after getting the nod to do so. "Yes, Jane and I are together."

"Oh my god, this is so wonderful," Angela exclaimed as she pulled both girls in for a group hug. "My two favourite girls have found happiness with each other. And I've always wanted my Janie to marry a doctor."

"Whoa, Ma," Jane warned, stepping back to look at her mother. "No one has said anything about marriage. Let's not get ahead of ourselves here."

"But you said you were in love with her," Angela replied, confused.

"Well, yea," Jane replied, looking over at Maura who was now also looking at her questioningly. "But Ma, this is still waaay too new to be thinking that far ahead."

"Don't you want to marry my Janie?" Angela asked, looking at Maura.

"Well, I mean… I wouldn't be opposed to the idea…" Maura replied, unsure of how to answer.

"You wouldn't?" Jane asked surprised?

"No," Maura answered, looking to Jane , "But you're right, it's early days, and we probably should… not be having this conversation with your mother," she finished, noticing the shocked and worried look Jane was giving her indicating that they should have this discussion later… In private.

"Anyway…" Jane said as she turned her mother around and encouraged her towards the door. "Maura and I would like to have breakfast together and… talk about these things… on our own… without input from Mothers… or anyone else."

"But Maura and I are going shopping this morning," Angela replied, looking to Maura for confirmation.

Jane looked at Maura, questioning the validity of her mother's remark.

"Actually, Jane, I did offer to assist Angela today with finding an outfit," Maura replied with a tilt of her head and a 'what can you do' smile. "You should come."

"Shopping? Mmm, yea, that's gonna happen," Jane laughed, moving back to continue cutting the fruit.

Maura made her way to Angela who was standing by the door.

"I will talk to her. She will join us," Maura whispered confidently. "Can we leave in, say, an hour?"

"And hour is perfect," Angela replied with a smile. "I'm so happy for the two of you," she added, pulling Maura into another hug.

"Thank you Angela," Maura replied as Angela released her and left out the back door.

Maura made her way back to Jane. She wrapped her arms around her waist and rested her head on her back.

"I'm coming shopping, aren't I?" Jane asked with a chuckle.

"Yes," Maura replied, turning Jane around in her arms. "For me?"

Jane looked down into Maura's pleading eyes and couldn't deny her. She knew that there wasn't much she wouldn't do for Maura, and if going shopping with her was what made her happy, then that was what she would do. Plus, it meant spending more time with the beautiful woman, which was never a bad idea.

"Maura, I would do anything for you," she replied, as she ran her hand through her hair and came to rest on her cheek.

"I know," Maura replied with a smile, tightening her grip on Jane's waist. "But I promise not to take advantage of having this knowledge."

Maura moved into Jane's arms, resting her head in the crook of Jane's neck and enjoyed having Jane's strong arms wrapped around her. She breathed in the scent that could only be described as Jane, and realised that this was where she wanted to spend the rest of her life. In Jane's arms, she was home.

"Jane?" Maura whispered.

"Yea?"

"I know it's a bit soon to be discussing marriage, but…" Maura hesitated, "how would you feel about living together?"

Jane smiled into Maura's hair, a warm buzz invading her at the thought of falling asleep and waking up next to Maura every day. She pulled back to look at Maura before responding with a smile.

"I would feel very good about that Maura," she replied.

"Really?" Maura asked excitedly.

"Yes, really," Jane replied as she cupped her face and kissed her tenderly.

"I love you, Jane," Maura whispered, wrapping her arms around Jane's neck and holding her close.

"I love you, too."


End file.
